Musical instrument



Jan. 11, 1949. ADA"; 2,459,102

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 IO 1 23 e/ g I I 24 2282054- Eig IN V EN TOR.

,1 66 NEWTON I ADAIR wwfm ' ATTOR NEY5 Jan. 11, 1949. J, ADAIR 2,459,102

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWII! I INVENTOR- NEWTON I. AD/\\R ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Newton J. Adair, Fresno, Calif.

Application January 25, 1947, Serial No. 724,386

(or. s4 312) 7 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments and specifically to improvements in tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments.

Many stringed instruments, as for example the type known as the steel guitar, are limited in their musical expression by an inability to achieve many chords, chordal variations, and chordal progressions requisite to the rendition of musical concepts and effects desired. These limitations inhibit the musician in his performance and restrict the composer in his development of theme, mood, ornamentation and variation.

I am aware that others have sought to vary the tuning of stringed instruments by varying the lengths of vibrating strings and by varying the tensions of such strings. My device relates to the latter group in that vibration frequencies of musical strings are regulated by controlled tensioning of the strings but should not be confused with others of the group. Distinguishing characteristics are that my invention achieves precision tuning by positive tension control; greater breadth of musical expression is attainable by employing foot manipulated tuning conwhile it is being played to achieve chords, chordal variations, and chordal progressions heretofore considered impossible to achieve on such instruments.

Another object is to provide precision means in stringed musical instruments instantaneously and accurately re-tuning selected strings thereof by increasing or decreasing the tension of the strings a predetermined extent.

Another object is to provide in stringed musical instruments means for accomplishing frequent, accurate, and rapid changes in string tuning as well as effectively maintaining a selected tuning as long as desired.

Another object is to provide, in a steel guitar, pedal manipulated tuning means auxiliary to the conventional playing steel whereby the strings relating to a definite chord may be simultaneously changed in tone by depressing a pedal.

Another object of my invention is to provide an attachment for steel guitars which may be quickly and easily adjusted for string tensioning, in combination with the steel, to achieve any musical chord Within the range of the instrument.

Another object is to provide a console stringed instrument, incorporating the foregoing re-tuning means, that is attractive in appearance and convenient to play.

Another object is to provide such a console stringed instrument that is convenientl and easily dismantled for carrying and reassembled for playing without displacing the precision retuning thereof from adjustment.

Further objects are to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a device of the character and for the purposes set forth that is simple in structure, economical to manufacture, and efiicacious in operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention 1 will become apparent in the following description and the novelty thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a console stringed instrument of the electric, steel guitar, type em,- bodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the table portion of said console steel guitar having housings thereof removed for inspection of working elements, presently described.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional, view showing a plan view of the base of said instrument looking in the direction 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the base of the instrument which is shown in top plan view in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 88 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9--9 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view showing of the base of the instrument as seen in Fig. 3 but with the shield of the pedals removed to indicate relative positioning of key elements and pedals, presently described.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings:

In Fig. 1, a support is indicated generally at Hi comprising a base II, legs I2, and a table "lute type.

' strings.

portion 13. Receptacle elements M are provided upwardly disposed on the base and similar receptacle elements l5 are provided downwardly disposed on the table portion. The legs are slipfitted into the receptacles of the base and in turn are received by the receptacles of the table portion resting thereon. The slip fitting of the legs with the base and table portion respectively pro- Vides a rigid support and one that may be conveniently disassembled and reassembled. The base is mounted on castors I3.

Tensioned strings ll, 58, i9, 25 2| and 22 are indicated on the table portion. A volume control M, as conventionally employed in steel guitars having electrical amplifying means, is indicated in convenient relation to the strings. Housing members 23 serveto'hide working elements of the present invention and give the instrument a more pleasing appearance. "The housing members are retained in place by retain- :ing elements '25,.mounted on the table portion =;and arranged to receive and frictionally engage said housing members. *In Fig. '2 the housing :members are removed to reveal the'retaining elements and :to illustrate normally concealed portions of the instrument. The strings are 'anchored to'the table as at 26, passed over a-fixed bridge-'21 and are :a'djustably tensioned'by tuning posts "28, as "is Well known in instruments of the ner. The pickup, amplifying means and volume control do not constitute essential elements of the present invention and thus are not described "in 'detail, but merely alluded to as usefuladjuncts.

-A-pair of-spaced' bridges '38 and3l are mounted on the table l3 transverselyrelated to the string. -An opening 32 is provided in the table 3 3beneath each of the strings and substantially midway between the bridges 36 and '3 I. To vary-the ten- ;sion of the strings and thus'their periods of vibration, link members, ortension means, 33 are passed through the openings and engage the The link members are :screw threaded at their lower end portions and preferably hooked at their upper end portions, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, for convenience in engaging :and -disengaging'thestrings. It is obvious .that by drawing downward on the "link members, the strings ,maybe raised in pitch as'their .tensions are in- .creased.

To the end of exerting instantaneous and accurately predetermined tension on the strings,

precision controls .are provided in the .base H as seen .inFig. ,3 andillustrated infurther detail inFigs. 6,7, 8, 9, and 10. Keys.j34, 35,36,31, 33, and 3S arepivotally mounted in the'base portion as at 40, eachkey havingits freeendportiondisposed generally below one of the openings .32.

"The link members are extendeddownwardly.and

communicate with their ,r.e spccti.ve keys bylheing pass d through evenings .in the end -pO11tions thereof. Thus alink member communicates hetwecn .the string J1 and the .key 5.4, between,

the string l8 and key etc. Wing .nuts 14;! .are screw threadedly engaged to .thelink members ,ab ove and :below the keys, in abutting :relation ;to .the .Iieys, tosecure-and adjustably tension the ,link members. The keys .are provided with stops -42 ,precluding their movement upwardly "from :a predetermined neutral position. The stops iconveniently comprise a bracket lfl'mounted 1011 the base portion and extended :downwardly therefrom to underlay, but be spaced 'imm'tne time An-electrical pickup 29, is employed with-a conventional amplifier in the usual manend portions of the keys. Openings 44 are formed through the free end portions of the keys and screw threaded bolts 15 are passed through the openings and secured to the bracket by means of nuts 45. The heads of the bolts, as positioned by adjustment of the nuts 46, conveniently preclude upward movement of the key elements, from their neutral positions. To urge the keys against the heads of the bolts and thus resist movement downward by the keys from their neutral position, helical compression springs 41 are provided circumjacent the bolts in abutting relation to the overlaying portion of the bracket and. their respective keys.

*threadedly engaged to the bridge and spacially adjusted below the neutral positions of the keys.

Jamb nuts 3513 look :the stops .in said adjusted :pos'itions .when'ti'ghtened against the bridge. The bridge, and stops borne thereby, are preferably positioned inwardly 'from the points atzwhich the tension means are attached to the keys 'to minimize'tonal inaccuracies incident to :key'. flexibility and/or excessive downward pressure .ton

thekeys.

"Pedals 52 to'63, inclusively, are .pivotally mounted on the 'under side .of :the base H,:superimposed -:and :transversely :related to the keys. :A

convenient :pivotal mounting is'indicated in Figs.

6, 8, and 9 comprising brackets 64 downwardly extended from said .base and bearing a 'pintle GBBKmQunting' the keys. :Itshas been found con- 'ven'ientito employ alternatepedals to tune sin- :gle strings aof zthe instrument. As numbered in the drawings-the rs'ingl'e string tuning pedals are :eveninumbered andthe chordalpedals odd numbered. iksinglesstring tuning pedal is indicated :in Fig. #8, overlaying "the'keys and manipulating .-a=single key. .Movementsof thezpedals aretransgmitt'edztottheirgkeys by:means of fingers fifi'passed through 'th'e pedals and downwardly disposed for key engagement. .The fingers :arezscrew threaded xian'd are provided with adjustment nuts :6! on each :side :of the pedals 'to permit control of the zextent :that the engaged key :is depressed for a igivenmovementco'fithe pedal. The chord pedals, zas'sillustrated in Fig. -9, are essentially the same ias :the'single-string tuning pedals described, :but communicate-With a plurality of key elements :torachieve ioh'ordal variations.- Attention is directed to zthe middle finger shown in Fig. .9 illustrating ag'finger adjusted z-to depress its key elezment :onlyahalf =way .-for;half tone pitch variation. For convenience in manipulation of .the pedals, the 'single string tuning pedals areprowided with :upwardly disposed .foot .rests 68 and ithechordal-pedals withsimilarjfoot rests 69. 'The :foot rests are preferably arranged in .banks :so .that-thefoot rests r68 are inra :bankseparateand distinct from the foot rests 69. ,A shield lll ,..hav- :ing :openings .formed -.therein :through which :the foot rests upwardly extend, is gmounted by the base 12! :concealing relation to the pedals :and the keys.

Qpemtz'rm From the foregoing description, it is believed thatthe operation o'f'the device of the present "invention is obvious "and is summarized briefly at thispoint. In preparing the instrument for the practice of the invention, it is first tuned to basic tuning by varying "the tension of the strings as controlled :by the conventional tuning *posts .28.

A convenient tuning has been found to be an E thirteenth tuning, as described in greater detail in a subsequent chart.

The wing nuts 4| are adjusted to remove any tioning of the pedals, keys, and fingers are not effected in any way by the dismantling or reassembling procedure, no readjustment of them is required. Re-tuning of the strings in the con slack in the link members 33. Care is observed 5 ventional manner by means of the posts 28 to avoid tightening the link members sufficiently suffices, to alter the basic tuning of the strings ll to 22 It will be apparent to those skilled in the art inclusively. The stops 42 are adjusted in conthat I have provided a mobile stringed instrujunction with the wing nuts and the tuning posts ment achieving musical expression heretofore so that when the keys are in normal, or up, po- 10 considered unattainable in instruments of the sitions the strings are accuratel tuned to their lute type; that frequent, accurate, and rapid a i tunin Th w r op 49 are a justed changes in string tuning is facilitated; and that so that when the keys are depress o the r chordal structures and progressions of complier stops their respective strings are tightened a cated character may be expeditiously accomsufilcient amount to raise them in pitch, as deplished, sired. Such an illustrative adjustment of the Although I have herein shown and described y s eXeml ified in the subsequent chart my invention in what I have conceived to be the wherein the depressing of the keys raises the sevmost practical and preferred embodiment, it is enteenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twenty-first recognized that departures ma b made thereand twenty-second strings a half tone in pitch from withi th scope ,5 my i t-i hi h i the twentieth string a whole tone. not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, The fingers 68 are adjusted in their respect v but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims pedals so that as their pedals are dep e s the so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices keys engaged will likewise be depressed. The sind systems s string ni ls o vi s y e h e r on Having described my invention, what I claim as one fi e the chordal tuning p da s beer on a new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: plurality of fingers, as desired. When the fingers 1. A musical instrument comprising a support, o pedals are adjusted they are locked in a plurality of strings tension ed thereon, means position with the nuts 81. As long as a chordal individual t t Strings fey prggressjvely arype l ha O e finger adjusted t depress a key 150 ing their tension as the instrument is played, keys its lower St l its er fingers may be adj s individually operating the tensioning means, o depress other y y half Way This is stops limiting the throws of the keys to achieve illustrated in Fig. 9, in which the finger over the predetermined pitch change qt throw, key 37 is adjusted to d p Said key y half pedals manipulating single keys, a1 0rd pedals y and thus t raise said ys rin 9 o ly each manipulating a plurality of ilsys to achieve a half t n It is obvious that substantiall limsingle string and chordal tuning of the strings. itless possibilities exist in the chordal structures 2. A musical instrument comprising a support, attainable by the proper adjustment of the finstringed instrument mounted on. the support, gore and stops described. Attention is invited keys pivotally mounted by support, tension to the following chart showing suggested basic it) means communicating between the and the tuning of the strings, finger adjustments between strings of the instrument to increase the tension the pedals and keys, and a few exemplary chords of said strings upon depressing the keys from achieved by depressing the several pedals: normal position; means limiting movement of the Strings 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd Chord Produced A11 Seine Oren --{j "II 3i: tjjjjjijji guest 93? 52" Not Used. do C#. a E Single Pedals" 5i FiII .II D? it'd-ii, added.

Not Used. B GtM. 62.. E Auevth. 53 F Not Used, Augmented- 57 Ohordal Pedals" E Not Used. do

BM 9th, 5th Lowcred.

D Diminished Tih.

E 9th.

When it is desired to transport the instrument of the present invention, the link members 33 are disconnected from their respective strings, the table portion 53 is lifted from the legs l2, the receptacles E5 disengaging the legs; and the legs are removed from the receptacles M. So dismantled the instrument is conveniently and easily transported from place to place. To reassemble the instrument, the opposite procedure is followed and the link members hooked over their respective strings. Inasmuch as the relative posikeys downwardly from neutral position, and pedals associated with the keys depressing said keys singly and in groups according to predetermined arrangement.

3. A pitch. changing device for musical instruments having a plurality of tensicned strings as a part thereof, said device comprising pair of spaced bridges transversely engaging the strings near an end portion thereof, tension displacing the strings between the bridges from their normal positions to vary the tensions of downwardly :from neutral position,

-.said strings, keys .,manipulating the tension means, stops limiting the throws .of .the-..keys to predetermined extents, pedals operating the-keys individually to change the pitch of individual strings, and pedals operating pluralities of keys to achieve chordal pitch changes.

4. :In a :device for varying thepit'ch or" a plurality of strings of a musical. instrument above the tuned pitch during-the playing thereonthe cornbination-of'a-pair of spaced bridges transversely related to the strings, tension .means adapted to-draw down onthe strings between the bridges, pivotal key elements connectedat their free ends vto-the tensionrmeans, stops .limiting the throws of the key elements to achieve a tensioning-of the strings resulting in predetermined pitch changes, pedals pivotally mounted transversely to the .key elements and engaging individual elements thereof andv-chordal pedals mounted transversely to the key: elements-and engaging :pluralities: of said-elements.

:5. A consoletype musical: instrument that is disassembled for carrying and reassembled for playing, comprising a base portion;having-up wardly disposed receptacles; legs slip-fitted 'into the receptacles of vthewbase portion; a table :member having downwardly disposed receptacles receivingthe upper and portions of the legs for tablesupport; a, plurality oi strings anchored near their end portions to the table member;

tuning posts mounted in the table member and .ad-justably tensioning the-strings for tuning purposes; a pair of spacedbridges transversely related to the strings; keys pivotally -mounted in the base portion, stops precluding movement of to za plurality. of keys to depress their respective plurality ofstrings from neutral position.

6. In stringed instruments having string tension control means for re-tuningrthe instrument while it .is being played, pedal controls. comprising'pivotally 'mounted keysconnected at their free ends to the tension control means, stops preeluding movement of the keys upwardly from a neutral position, stops limiting downward movementof the keys, resilient means resisting downward "movement 'ofzthe keys from said neutral position,;-pedals pivotally mounted transversely to the key elements,-and adjustable means communicating between the pedalsancl selected keys translating downward movement of the pedals into predetermineddownward movement of their respective keys according to preconditioning of the adjustable means.

'7. A musical instrument comprising a base portion and a table portion 'removably secured thereto in parallel spaced relation thereabove, a plurality of' strings :stretched taut between the ends of the table, :a bridge "on the table under the strings near' 'one end thereof, keys 'pivotally mounted longitudinally of the base portion, stops precluding upwardimovementof each'key from neutral-position, resilient means urging the keys against the upper. stops, tensionimeansi'connected between the freeend of each key anda string between the bridge-and therear end thereof, a plurality of single string tuning pedals pivotally connected to the base and extending transversely across the keys each adjustab'ly contacting a key, and a plurality of chord tuning pedals pivotally connected to the' base and extending transversely acrossthe keys each adjustably contacting' a plurality. of :keys.

NEWTON J. ADAIR.

. REFERENCES CITED The following"referenceszare of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,924,854 Harmon Aug. 29, 1933 2,234,874 Moore Mar. 11, 1941 2,257,995 Abrams Oct. 7, 1941 

